RIP Arizona Republican Party
The Principled Republicans have left the room and been replaced by an unrecognizable mob of misfits
The Arizona Republican Party has a new mascot. After an informal and unofficial meeting of the Arizona Disruptors (the de facto party) held through their "let's all jump off the cliff together" extremist right-wing media allies, have without anyone’s consent and without bylaws, voted to nearly unanimously adopt the hippopotamus as their mascot. Those who didn’t agree were escorted from the Zoom meeting.
The hippo is the perfect animal mascot. It reflects the "hypo"critical nature of their new "brand" of Republicanism.
Have you noticed that the people screaming the loudest about Trump, also have their hands out for the grift while they leverage his horrific circumstances? Meanwhile, the Disruptors blame the Left for the destruction of the rule of law, yet they tell the clueless that Disruptors are exempt and they don't have to follow the rules within their own party. Bylaws, which are meant for conducting orderly meetings and preserving decorum have been jettisoned. It's now "by any means necessary.
The AZGOP parliamentarian Joe Neglia is supposed to be our state party’s meeting "cop". His advice? Check this out:
“The MEMBERS rule! Not the chair, not the board, and especially not the parliamentarian. The Yavapai membership has the power to disregard any rule and do things the way they see fit. Breaking rules like that may bring repercussions, but it is the membership’s right to accept that risk.”
- Joe Neglia, AZGOP Parliamentarian
He's apparently lost his copy of Robert's Rules of Order too.
Rules for thee, but not for me
The Disruptors are teaching people that the rule of law is arbitrary and flexible. How do they get people to go along with this dichotomy? It's easier than you might think.
You get people angry, gain their trust then you condition people in small doses with justifications for unethical behavior such as, 'Ignore the bylaws, no big deal. They're outdated anyway'. 'Character assassinations, why not? Those RINO's deserve it.’ And the best one of all, 'The Left lies for THEIR causes, so it's no big deal when Disruptors get caught doing it too. Just call it a mistake.’ Wink, wink.
Where did the REAL Republicans go?
Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican Presidential nominee in 1964, had a registration of Democrats outnumbering Republicans two to one yet he easily won two senate races in Arizona. He did it by ignoring party lines. As a Senator, he gained support every day from the people who saw him as the man who always voted his convictions on issues; who always voiced their own grave doubts and who always fought to win for them the freedoms they were losing. (From Goldwater's excerpt the People of the United States.). In other words, he didn't represent extreme factions, he represented the average guy, recognized the common issues and, regardless of party affiliation, represented all people. Many Republicans were bothered about his candid descriptions of communism, government corruption and blunt challenge to fight both. Ronald Reagan gave his nomination speech in 1964. It’s on YouTube and one of the most incredible speeches of all time.
It's ironic that Goldwater was more than willing to embrace working with Democrats to accomplish the greater goals for the American people. Conversely, AZ State Senate candidate Steve Zipperman has repeatedly, ad nauseam, criticized current Senator Ken Bennett for doing exactly that. Unfortunately, Mr. Zipperman struggles with 'facts'. Sorry, Steve, but 'close enough' isn't good enough. 94% is still greater than 91%.
Mr. Zipperman tends to view legislating as a black and white proposition. He sees all Democratic sponsored bills as “bad” and Republican bills as “good”. But there's more. Certain members of the AZ Freedom Caucus who are Disruptors actually have the gall to refuse to support bills by Republicans who aren't part of their group. All Republican legislators are expected to comply with their bullying and when they don't, they're the target of attacks by their Disruptor fan base using Saul Alinsky Rules for Radicals tactics, RTS (Request to Speak) and withholding key facts about problems in the legislation they’re pushing. Keep in mind that expectation of compliance, lock step support without disagreement, propaganda, manipulation, character assassination and punishment are hallmarks of totalitarianism.
Mob rule and communism
The Disruptor approach to legislating is a precursor to communism starting with "mob rule" or anarchy. Anarchy creates a lawless void in the social compact. When lawlessness reaches an intolerable level, the government takes advantage of the anarchy to fill the void with tyrannical laws. This is when the hammer of communism comes down on the population. In this case, the hammer is hitting their own.
Legislating in a Republic
It was the intention of our founding fathers that a "republic" meant governing through our elected leaders to create well thought out legislation that would often include compromise. Compromise never means ignoring your personal ethics or our Republican principles, unlike some Republicans in our national government have appeared to do. It simply means making sure all voices are heard, even Republican ones, Mr. Zipperman.
Mr. Zipperman's "good" v "bad" approach is foolish because every piece of legislation needs to be weighed against its ability to affect the public good verses unintended consequences. Legislating isn’t a 30 second sound bite. It takes hard work, experience, knowledge and commitment.
Unfortunately, Mr. Zipperman represents this "new brand" of Republicans who have embraced the Disruptor approach to governing. Their lack of respect, failure to foster a spirit of cooperation and adoption of Alinsky's tactics is beyond the pale. While they appear to agree with Republican principles, the demarcation come between how they behave. But there's something else they're missing that is uniquely Republican.
Principled Republicans have a heart
One of the endearing qualities former President's Trump, Reagan, and Senator Goldwater share is that they have a genuine heart for the average person. There are countless stories of their acts of kindness toward people they don't know without ever taking into consideration their political affiliations and without expectations of something in return.
"Common sense, common decency and common honesty; these are the ingredients for getting along with each other, just as they are for getting along with the job of governing ourselves." - Barry Goldwater.
Clearly these ingredients don't exist in the Disruptor world. Unfortunately, their approach has expanded nationwide.
Is it too late for the principled Republicans?
The principled Republicans have taken a beating at the state, county and legislative district levels. The elephant has been dodging the hippo for years and we've slowly watched as the elephant, in exhaustion and frustration, has gone down on one knee. Many Republicans have quit or are thinking about it. But the Republican Party has been through far worse. The stakes are no doubt high. Crippled, but not down and out, principled Republicans need to regain their strength to go against a biotechnologically enhanced donkey. They must jettison these new Disruptor tactics, reestablish the rule of law, commit to respecting
diverse thought, and support candidates with a proven track and who understand diplomacy, and will stand strong for our principles.
What’s next?
There’s no doubt our country is in a crisis. One of the greatest assets in a crisis is a cool, calm and reasoned approach to each situation. Mistakes are made when emotion rules. Emotions kick in when people are feeling powerless. We can win, but it will require thinking differently about the problems we face and keeping an open mind. After all, knowledge is power. One of the advantages the Disruptors use against their followers is the lack of civics knowledge possessed by them. This allows the Disruptors to present their own version of civics that’s often misleading. Being told what to think is another hallmark of communism. This struggle is not going to be won by violence, as it would appear that is where some Disruptors are leading people. It will only be won by employing wisdom, critical thinking, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills which everyone can learn. Our founders knew that the survival of our republic rested on an educated and moral electorate. Only through education can we muster the resources needed to save our Republic. Our party has failed the American voter in this regard and it’s time to shift the paradigm and commit to civics education for ourselves and our children. Only then can we begin the hard work of helping our elephant stand firm again. Until then:
"The tide has been running against freedom. Our people have followed false prophets. We must and we shall return to proven ways - not because they are old but because they are true. We must and shall set the tides running again in the cause of freedom." – Barry Goldwater
Spoken like a true statesman.
For more information on the Disruptors and the destruction of the Republican Party see Scott McMahan’s @biggertruth on X
TRUTH ❤🇺🇲